A computer network is a collection of interconnected network devices that can exchange data and share resources. Example network devices include routers, switches, and other layer two (L2) network devices that operate within layer two of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model, i.e., the data link layer, and layer three (L3) network devices that operate within layer three of the OSI reference model, i.e., the network layer. Network devices within computer networks often include a control unit that provides control plane functionality for the network device and forwarding components for routing or switching data units.
A network switch of a computer network may use a queue to help to provide bandwidth matching between senders and receivers. More specifically, the network switch receives packets from a sender at a relatively fast rate. The network switch transmits a portion of the received packets from the sender to a receiver at a relatively slow rate and stores a remaining portion of the received packets in the queue. After transmitting the portion of the received packets, the network switch transmits the packets stored in the queue to the receiver at the relatively slow rate.